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Topic: FirstLand (Read 7652 times)

Firstland is the home of the Imperial Seat and most of the Elventi of the known world (though Thirdland will soon surpass them).

It is a seven major biome landmass. It's shape is a flattened and elonged mega-hex (6 hexagons around a central hexagon). The FirstBiome, Key is its official name, is the central biome. The other six are equally spaced around Key. Each of these biomes have three "facesides" that touch the ocean. Despite being near the ocean, the Elventi never became sailors. All the biomes are forrested in some way. They normally have a moderate climate, but that may have more to do with Elventi sorcerry rather than the way.

The population is primarily Elventi and High Elventi of the Air element, but there are a few Humanti scatter through the biomes (remnents from the Humanti exodeus). The society on FirstLand follows the traditional Andoran patterns centered on the group membership (clan/ family in this case) and balancing of elemental/ cosmic forces. What makes the society here different from the norm is the pace in how they live.

The Elventi here live in what Humantis call "Elventi Time". The Elventi term is TheGracefulflowofDays. The glib explanation is that all life is a ritualistic game, as every day should follow the proper pattern or way and things change slowly over time. A more complete explanation is since The Elventi naturally live longer with a longer view of things and a dedication to their family and descendents, all Elventi societial elements are planned for the long term and for their cyclic asthetic. Given the number of Elventi, their slow rate of breeding, and their view of things, there is always times to plan for things. So everything is done with proper thought to make a minimum impact upon the world.

This is most evident in their agriculture. Most people who visit there, don't think they do have agriculture. They think things magically appear. Elventi farms/ or fields are carefully planted in and amoungst the natural plants, even in city areas. The untrained eye might spot an Elventi field, but the trained eye will notice the increased number of certain plants. Everything is done with an eye to the rythm of life. So plants are arranged so they will produce maximum yield within the other growths that occur.

The Elventi are a fairly urban people. They tend to live in large settlements. Elventi Cities are built under domes of magical force, which mutes most of the inclement weather and averages out the temperature inside. Homes and most buildings are built out of huge magically sculpted trees. They are linked together via bridging branches, sculpted walkways, and beautiful garden paths. The population in an Elventi "city" is still vastly more distributed than in an Humanti city. Even more so because of the various levels of the city.

The Elventi have an understanding of the metaphysical forces of Arth. They base most of their decisions upon that understanding. It seems to work. The Elventi use their understanding to be masterful mages and sorcery.

The Elventi society is ruled by age. The eldest of a family rules. Thus their society is run by their Immortal Kin, the High Elventi. They are truely immortal, and thus noble in their society. Any Elventi might ascend to this status, give a combination of genetics, actions, mediation, and luck. StarStone, in addition to being a useful magical tool, is said to increase one's power, thus increasing their chance to become High Elventi.

The Drama:Over the last century or two, the ocean level has been rising notably. In the coastal biomes, many of the lowlands and river areas have an influx of sea water. This has made for a salty marsh like environment. Many trees are growing gnarled and stumpy because of this. The common Elventi response is "the sea rises and the sea lowers. It will lower again". Despite these protests of "everything is under control and going according to our plan", many FirstLand communities are getting "crowded" with "visiting" (displaced)Elventi. This is putting some strain on their carefully managed communities. It is because of this rising ocean level that many Elventi are "visiting" Thirdland.

MetaPlotThese changes are occuring because the Elventi are messing with KeySpheres. These items of power help balance the world when used in conjunction with Pylons. The Elventi think their view of the world allows them to use the stones without unforseen consequence. Yet the Elvent's usage of these stones is what has disrupted the way of FirstLand and almost every biome in The KnownWorld.

It is thought that only biomes have "ways". In actuallity, all of Arth has ways, both "globally" and "regionally". This small piece of knowledge has escaped the Elventi, as they are not "testible" like normal way rules.

It is admusing, in that ironic sort of way, that the species most inclined towards order and regularity are the agents of the greatest change.

FirstBiome - Key: This is the Imperial seat of power. The biome's geography is huge number of gently rolling hills piled upon each other. This gently "bumpy" terrain means the altitude generally goes up as you head towards the center of the biome. The ecology is one of a giant redwood forest. The weather is fairly mild, even for Firstland. It has been termed perfect by almost all who have gone there.

The tallest hill in this biome is FirstHill and is the home of the Imperial Center. The Imperial Center is a magnificent building. Though made of stone and glass, between its design and all the intricate carvings it appears to be a natural extension of the forest. Inside its walls are contained the Imperial Court, most High Elventi, the Imperial Militia's training grounds and Barracks, and several gate terminals. Surrounding the Center is the KeyCity, the oldest Elventi settlement. There has been four generations of the near immortal HomeTrees in KeyCity. It is sprawling by Elventi standards, with eight levels in some places. In certain areas there are glow lights on the forest floor, as sunlight can not penetrate all the canopy above. All of the main trails on the forest floor have smaller versions of Imperial roads. There is a large population of Elventi here. Most of the Elder Elventi in the Imperium have homes here. Most stay here year round. Nobles, Governers, and those with travelling responsibilities have homes elsewhere. There are no non-Elventi who maintain any permanent residence here.

On every one of the cascading hills, there is an Elventi City. Each has its own invisible mystic dome, its own HomeTrees, and its own lesser nobles. All the roads between these cities are Imperial Roads. In fact all the main "True roads" are imperial roads made via magic to be immune to time and weather.

There is one DeepValley, a city built in the deep area between four hill cities. It is the only exception to the one hill one city rule here.

In terms of history, Key has a simple one. The Elventi would call it "elegant". The First Elventi, a moderate sized group including the Emperor (the only High Elventi at the time) became lost in a blue fog (warp fog) and found themselves transported from their home. They had only vauge memories of who they were and their world. Under the Emperor's leadership, they gathered together the knowledge they had and worked together. It took time and effort, but they managed to recreate the best of their original home.

Since the early days, they have very slowly expanded into the world. They carefully planned their expansion into the biomes adjacent to Key. Once they discovered the existance of OtherLands and other less fortunate species, they swore to uplift and support all other peoples, and to ensure a dynamic peace and prosperity. They would expand themselves in proxy through the subjects.

PlotsWhere there are nobles and power to be earned, there will be political manuvering. The plans of the nobles are long and complex. The Web of interactions/ favors/ plots holds the noble society together in a tightly bound group.

Located in the "12 o'clock position" from FirstBiome, the Northwoods was the first Biome the Elventi colonized after FirstBiome. Of all the biomes on FirstLand, it is the most like FirstBiome. In terms of Terrain and Ecology, it is almost the same. The rolling hills get lower and lower until the land meets the sea. The weather of the Northwoods is different. It is cooler and wetter than FirstBiome. There is almost always an ocean mist shrouding the hills here. While snow is extremely rare in FirstBiome, a light dusting of snow happens every winter here.

The people of Northwoods are very traditional Elventi. They are graceful, elegant, and keep to the rhythm of things. They do not like change and stubbornly resist it. If noted for a craft, it is their wood working and wood weaving abilities that come to mind. Life here is much like it has always been, little from the other people of the Imperium is found here. And that is the way they like it. They also supply most of the Low Elventi support for the Militia.

Barron Northwood, appointed by The Emperor to rule here, has overseen his people's move to this biome and everything they have done since. He is an orderly man, staunchly supporting Law. Those who transgress the law in this biome will find themselves in a difficulty position.

This biome is the least effected of the biomes by the flooding. What flooding does occur seem to subside every year or three. They see nothing wrong, just a fluxuation in the way. Even though, some of the lower hilled cities are somewhat vacant, as the Elventi are visiting their relatives elsewhere.

Plot IdeasSomeone transgresses a minor law here and discovers the punishments for any offense is steep. What do you do?

While breaking the law is a bad idea here, breaking social traditions or being too innovative is practically a death sentance or an invitation to be shunned- to be treated as an invisible ghost.

This biome is in the "10 o'clock" position of the contient. It is horizontally longer than wide biome, though retaining its hexagonal shape. It is a deep pine forest biome. Meandering slowly through the hilly and rocky terrain are dozens of streams and rivers. This maze of blue flows is what gives the barony its name.

While several hometrees have been imported here, they have nearly all failed to thrive. The Elventi are coaxing the local pines to an appropriate size, but they are not as strong. Many of the buildings here are incredibly crafted stoneworks. Many of which look like natural extensions of stone outcroppings. Wooden buildings, similar to what Humanti make, exist here. Though the craftsmanship is beyond any Humanti hands, they are tucked away in out of the way places.

The Emperor was very conservative in his expansion of Elventikind early on. He wished for the "colonization" to be orderly and carefully planned. "Elventi life is precious and should not be wasted frivously," is the quote of the Emperor. A small group of Elventi were charged with gaining materials for the Imperial Center. They were quickly running out of quality materials in the two biomes being colonized. A few young radical Elventi entered BlueTwine to look for new material sources, without Imperial permission. They were arrested when they returned with the required materials, but were eventually pardoned. The stone in the hills of the biome are without compare. In addition, Iron was found that did not require deep mining. Smiths (crafters) were dispatched, gates were set up, and the first encampments were set up. The pardoned Elventi were dispatched to the biome to oversee things, given their familiarity with the terrain. One of the impertinant low Elventi, ascended a decade later. He became first the OverSeer and then the Barron of the Biome.

Barron BlueTwine is an amusing man who will frequently send Elventi to investigate possible sources of material and new techniques. It was through his insistance that the near genocide of the Dwarventi was halted (all conditional of their accepting Elventi rule of course). He and his Smiths have learned much from the Dwarventi, as well as Humanti. The Smiths (crafters) here are know to take any technique developed by another peoples and to extend it, perfecting. He is currently organizing a group who will investigate the ruins in the SouthEastern Biomes of Thirdland. The ruins are from the society that created the Puti and almost all the created races on Thirdland. There is talk of a Elventi Colony there.

There has been no flooding here. The shoreline has simply moved inland, making for less livable land. Eventually the blue streams will become salty deltas if this trend is not stopped. Since the raising of water, the Barron has simply sent out more "investigative groups", to get them out of the way.

PlotlinesThe troupe can be anywhere and encounter Elventi from Blue Twine on a mission to secure new and special resources or techniques. Proper study of these things can take decades when one lives in ElventiTime.

In the "8 o'clock" position, this biome is a flattened hexagon, longer in the east west direction, like Blue Twine. This biome was originally "uninviting" to the Elventi of Key. It was hilly like Key or NorthWoods, with the hills flowing to the shore. It had the occasional stream. However the trees were stunted, making this almost a biome of miniature trees. Between Elventi forestry skills and magics, that has changed. Now the biome is filled with tall rich trees. Even with magics, the weather here is more extreme than any of the other biomes (hotter and colder and wetter, with more pronounced seasons). The colonizing of NewHome was performed after as an expected population flux occured in FirstBiome. The NewHome area was prepared for the increased population. It is currently the second most populated biome on Firstland.

Except for the presence of Humanti and moments of weather, you would not know you were not in Key/ Firstbiome. The HomeTrees have grown tall and developed nicely. The branches intertwine and create pathways in the sky. The soil is rich and the embedded cultivation is easy. Everyone has enough that they can share freely. Gifts are frequently given, neighbors visiting are treated as true guests. (This occurs in Key and other Elventi Biomes, but it occurs more often here.)

Lady Lord NewHome graciously accepted her barrony. She prefers the term Lady Lord over the Imperial term Barron. Being known for her organizational skills and perfectionism, she took on the mission making NewHome a perfect place. It seemed more through force of will than any magic or skill that NewHome became the place it has become. Always the perfect hostess, Lady Lord NewHome, considers all who lived here her guests. In fact all that live here follow her trend and treat each other as mutual guests.

This attitude was tested when the short and smelly Humanti came ashore here. They had arrived here unnoticed for a time. They "dispoiled" the local shoreline with their ugly dwellings. She asked for a guard to join her when she asked them to leave. Using her formitable telepathic gifts, she discovered that they were fleeing the distruction of their own lands by the Ugly Wapti. Taking pity on them, and their increasing numbers, she allowed them to stay. She took a hands on approach to them, insisting that if they stay they must behave properly. It is Lady NewHome that is specifically responsible for the "civilizing" (the Elventi term is uplifting) the Humanti. She taught them manners, language, crafts, and the way of things. While they could never achieve a true level of competence ("they are so short lived after all"), they adapted to her lessons and did as well as they could. They then taught the newcomers and the Humanti of other biomes.

The Humanti lived on Firstland for a number of Humanti generations. They formed an underclass in Elventi society in NewHome. They worked as Servants, Smiths, and Laborers, under Elventi direction. Eventually, the Army attempted to train the Humanti to be proper warriors. While their attention span was too short by Elventi Standards, they made adequite warriors who assisted the Elventi in liberating SecondLand and uplifting the SecondLand Highlanders. Those that remain here, remain the underclass of servants, smiths, and laborers.

The ocean level is creeping up here, and encroaching upon habitated lands. The various large trees are begining to warp and twist under the influence of the salty water in the water table. The stubby orignal trees are making a come back, disrupting the flow of things. There are a number of crews who travel about attempting to "make things right", using magic to erase things unslightly.

PlotsThe players could escort an important person back to FirstLand so they can get in touch with their roots. There they could find that the "perfect history" that everyone believes in, is not so perfect.

A clean up crew cleans up the remains of a murder, just because such an event would be "impolite".

The LadyLord travels to another land to prepare the celebration for the new Governor. She brings her human servants with her. They seem almost like slaves to most people. Someone might try to free them.....

This Barrony is in the "6 o'clock position" directly south of Key. It was one of the biomes The Emperor decreed must be colonized after NewHome. He appointed the biome's nobility, assigned others positions of honor there, and gave land grants. Soon the biome was filled with Elventi.

Like NewHome and NorthWood, StoneForest is a hilly, nearly mountainous biomes, with deep rocky revines, slipping gently towards the shoreline. The hills are smaller in terms of square footage when compared to other biomes. The land is forested of course, with a unique deep bluegreen pine of good stature. What gives this lands its name is the natural standing stones errupting from the hills, just gutting up from the ground. They are as tall as an Elventi male, though about twice as wide as one. They are found among the trees, in the fields, and pretty much everywhere in this biome.

There are two other notable features in StoneForest. The first is the seaclouds (fog). This biome would be warmer than any other, if it was not for the cooling seaclouds sliding through the hills. You can tell the time of day by the direction of the seaclouds (inland daytime; to sea night time). The other feature is the long rope bridges that are prevolent here. The Elventi cities are not built on one hill, but spread over three or four of the biome's smaller hills. These neighborhoods are linked by beautiful woven rope bridges. BridgeCraft is an artform here. Some designers even take the seaclouds into consideration when designing them, as they would "cut across" a flow of fog.

These rope bridges also link human habitations with the cities on the hill. The Humanti live in the ravines and lowlands of StoneForest, much to the annoyance of The Elventi here. They serve as servants, fishermen, and smiths for the Elventi, though seldom in public view.

The Lord of StoneForrest is ClearBlueSkyAcrosstheHorizon-astheRedSunWanes. He has not adopted the Barrony as his own, and seems to never want to. He was awarded the barrony for exceptional service to the Imperium. What that service was, no one in Key can say specifically. No, he was awarded this barrony after a failed set of political manuvering that would of put him second in line for the Imperial Seat. By being awarded this biome, he was neatly cut out of political manuvering in court (being he now has duties in this biome) while being honored. To say he is upset, these several centuries later, is an understatement. In public, he hides it behind a stoic facade. Many of the other appointments and minor nobles of this new biome were similar political manuverers or supporters of the Lord ClearBlueSkyAcrosstheHorizon-astheRedSunWanes. In one brilliant stroke, trouble makers have been removed, while everyone saves face and the biome is appropriately populated. Generally being less than thrilled about their honored exile, the noble Elventi have adopted this stoic facade as well. With so many being stoic and cynical, it has become a common thread of StoneForrest Life.

When the Humanti reached FirstLand, the coves of StoneForest originally held them. The Elventi here saw them as two legged vermin. They originally drove them away, usually quite permanently (though none would admit it or left any evidence). It was only after Lady NewHome made a formal announcement of the Humanti presence on FirstLand at Court that the practice of removing Humanti was stopped. The Lord only allowed them along the coast and lowlands, so he would not be seen as a ungracious host. Life was hard for the Humanti here, and the Elventi of StoneForest were not as gracious as they pretended. The Lord only allowed a few immigrants from NewHome to teach the new guest proper manners and way of things. When the talk of retaking SecondLand first started, he immediately began to train his humans unmercifully to be proper warriors. There was only a very small number of Humanti left in StoneForrest until recently, as The Barron made sure most of them were gated back to their new homeland.

The rising of the Sea Level is causing issues here. The sea water has completed flooded the lower ravines, destroying the Humanti towns. Many of the various hills are now small islands surrounded by water. Trees are begining to shift slightly here at the lower elevations. So far, the only inconvience to the Elventi has been the loss of certain low bridges and the occasional Humanti produced goods.

PLOTSA set of Humanti are isolated and attacked by some Elventi on some pretext of "they offended us" or "they broke the law".

The political manuvering did not stop once the Elventi were imported to this Biome. Now they intrigue against each other. The players might be hired as agents for specific purposes, retrieving items, delivering messages, borrowing certain things or planting something upon someone. The potential of political intrigue amongst the stone faced Elventi is staggering.

The players might encounter a makeshift boat at sea. They are Humanti from StoneForest who have been flooded out and were turned away by the Elventi. If the Imperial Court heard of this, they might be moved to act to support the displaced Humanti. Of couse, the agents of StoneForest will want to provent that.

This biome is in the "2 o'clock" position on Firstland, to the east of NorthWoods. The Terrain here is even. There is no traditional hill arrangement, though the land is gently sloping towards the sea. The shimmer wall between here and all the other biomes is nearly opaque, as the weather here is very different. Here, it snows. Thermos (summer) is the only time there is not snow on the ground. There is only a light snow, in Lumos, Storos and Lemos. Lemos and Fremos have deep snows. HomeTrees will grow here, though slowly even with magic. Most of the trees are a bright emerald green pine like trees (some of which are giant while others are more conventional in size).

The people of WhiteWoods are a calm and group orriented by nature. There are so few Elventi, that there are no "cities" here. There are not Elventi to focus and create city domes, and they would probably be against the "way" of the biome anyways. The Elventi here tend to live in great lodge homes made of wood, stone, living trees, and in some areas ice where several familities of a given area/ town live together. Even those in HomeTrees will live in large communal areas. The long winters huddled around magical HearthStones gives them an odd sense of privacy (all privacy is mental, everything else is not important).

Lord and Lady Lord WhiteWood are "co-rulers", sharing the duties of Barron, for the Biome. Officially both are Barrons, though originally only LadyLord WhiteWood was so honored. They are elderly, even for High Elventi standards, being one of the original handful of Arrivals. They are the image of the stately, proper, High Elventi. As two people whos hearts are one, they look very similar. Both have long flowing white hair, the same angular nose, and sharp eyes.

Most Elventi born to this area have the same general appearance. The Lord and LadyLord have defined the way of the place.

This is the only Northern Biome that has Humanti. They adopted a handful of them when the WhiteWoods noticed they were being "mistreated" on a visit to StoneForrest. The Humanti brought their domesticated animals with them (Dogs, Cats, Chickens). They were the Dog Clan originally. With the Elventi help, they soon domesticated the Great Elk of WhiteWoods, as beasts of burden (pulling Humanti invented Sleds) and a source of milk. The Humanti live in seperate lodges from the Elventi, some seperated by a good distance. The Humanti are still a lesser class here, but they are treated fairly equally in most regards here.

Like BlueTwine, the flooding has done nothing but shift the coastline inward. Most of those communities were using HomeTrees. Though the salt is begining to twist their trees, they are living in this semi-aquatic habitat. Other groups are indefinitely visiting their inland relatives.

PlotsThe great dograce, the TheAnnualRaceofTeamsofFourFootedFurryPeople-betweenTallPointandCoinspointe, is the local Iditarod. It is something of great interest here and abroad. Given the amount of pride upon the line, tempers run short, foul play occurs, and lives are lost due to these things and the elements as this race occurs deep in late fall.

This biome is in the "4 o'clock" or south east position on FirstLand. It was the last biome to be colonized, even though the one before it was less habitable (WhiteWoods). There was some delay in assigning the Barron of the Area. After some deliberation, the new Lord WhiteCliff was selected.

This biome has three plains or plateus (Highland, Midlands, LowLands) all bordered by tall white stone cliffs (or the ocean). The LowLands, which cover about 50% of the biome, have HomeTrees and accompanying forests. The Midland, which cover 35% of the biome, is a mix of pines/ oaks/ and HomeTrees. The soil in the Midlands is quite variable in composition, thus explaining the variety of tree types. The Highlands, the remaining 15% only Green Pines (just like BlueTwines) and Scrubs. This biomes is like three different worlds combined into one.

Travel between the three plains is difficult. The cliffs have trecherous trails that have been hewn into the rock over time and use. There are current plans to create tunnels and lifts to make the travel easier. Work has begun on the first set.

The temperatures here are "perfect" without magical help. They are moderate at lower levels; only slightly unpleasant on the HighLands. The various cities and towns of WhiteCliff still have HomeCairns and their mystical domes of weather protection, but they really do not need them.

In WhiteCliffs, almost all the buildings are made of sculpted trees and intricately carved woods. Though this is a new "colony" of Elventi, the art of tree shaping has been perfected here. Even the Humanti art of WoodSmithing, has been expanded into an Elventi acceptable artform, with a level of carving, joining, and manufacturing unequalled in all the Known World. The buildings of WhiteCliffs are unique in their appearance mostly because of the Humanti influence.

Lord WhiteCliff is different from most of his Elventi companions. To the Court, and most Elventi, he is a reactionary, manic, worry wart. He no longer lives in the timeless state of cyclic life known as "elventi time". He, and all his people Humanti and Elventi, are living in "Humanti time".

In the begining, he was indifferent to the Humans that found their way to his biome. He treated them like guests and children, better than ClearBlueSkyAcrosstheHorizon-astheRedSunWanes, but much less than Lady Lord NewHome. Their woodsmith skills were interesting, but nothing outstanding. He did make them "equals" in the eyes of the rules and allowed them to live as the Elventi lived. This innovative idea was initially born of laziness, two sets of rules required more work than one. Though the Humanti were equal in terms of the rules, the Elventi still saw them as temporary lesser guests. He was just like all the other Elventi; that was, until the sea floods started.

Most of the population in WhiteCliffs lives on the vast LowLand Plain. The Lord was most stressed by the change of sea level. Lord WhiteCliff quickly learned that this was no mere rising and lowering of sea levels. The Lower Plain was flooding. The Great Trees and other Treehomes were sickening and dying, as the land became a salty swamp. It was the Humanti of WhiteCliffs who saved the trees. They Humanti saw that the Elventi were apparently "worrying and fretting", but not doing anything. They were trying to stay within the "game" of Elventi time, but they had a crisis brewing. They owed their Elventi mentors so much, they began just to save what they could, creating emergency canals and dykes, and filter ponds to create fresh water and salt. They worked at such a fever pitch, doing what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, that they saves all the endangered trees AND even extended the amount of arriable land beyond the previous shoreline. Most of the Elventi recoilled in horror at such randomness and non traditional actions, yet they were amazed that their beloved trees were saved. If it had not been for their Humanti and their "Humanti time" pace and way of thinking, there would be only a scant number of Elventi left in WhiteCliffs living in the less pleasant HighLands.

After surveying the work, and making a few suggestions, Lord WhiteCliff joined this quiet revolution. He gave up the timeless ways, and worked to save his biome and make it prosper even under these adverse conditions. Others "cast off" the traditional ways and joined him in Humanti time.

Thus the Elventi of WhiteCliffs now have adopted the Humanti Time way of life. Their biome is a bustle of activity as new things are being done, new projects are being started, and the Elventi and Humanti work side by side. This is the only place on Firstland that seems like ThirdLand in general, and more and more like Antioch every day.

The newly reclaimed coastlines has several new harbors that other peoples are taking advantage of. While there is not much trade at this time, there soon will be more. Lord WhiteCliff has appointed Humanti Knights to be his customs agents. This bold move is said to have raised an eyebrow of the Emperor. The repercussions of Humanti in charge on FirstLand has yet to be felt.

PlotsThe players could be hired anywhere and brought here for their expertise in building. The Dwaventi do not wish to mine on Elventi soil (unless they can keep the tunnels), so Humanti labor is required. Any labor is required, so many Kern and other species are being imported.

There is talk of giving "furry folk" the same rights here as Humanti have. The Elventi are warily for the idea, the Humanti are against it. Given the number of furry folk and the strong feelings for this issue, the situation can explode.

No discussion of Elventi society can be complete with a discussion of HearthStones and CityCairns. Without these two artifacts, Elventi society as it is known can not exist.

HearthStones are central to Elventi Culture. The HearthStone is the focus of every Elventi dwelling. Usually found in the center, it dominates most common rooms. A HearthStone is a stone disk. They are usually quite large, an armspan to two in diameter (three to six feet); but smaller more portable versions exist (down to the size of one handspan). These stones are intricately carved and carefully enchanted. The process takes a few weeks, but is well worth it. Once activated by a simple world, they will provide light and heat without fuel. This heat is quite intense and can be used for cooking as well as warmth in the forest nights. Several stones working together can be hot enough to produce forge like temperatures. The Light can be quite bright and fill the room, to be near twilight in intensity. The use of HearthStones allows the Elventi to live in homes of living wood and live without having to resort to wood or oil fires.

Each HearthStone must be enchanted for a specific biome, in that specific biome. They will not work beyond the bounds of their biome. This prevents the spread of HearthStones beyond the Elventi communities of FirstLand.

CityCairns are the second most important artifact in Elventi culture. These are small artificial pylons. Six or more surrounding an area creates a slight field of mystical energy. This field insulates the area, keeping it from getting too warm or too cold, and deflects most rain and snow. A set of cairns defines the outer boundries of every Elventi city. If one is lost to accident, the area scribed by the remaining cairns will remain protected (unless there are fewer than six). Almost every Elventi city and town (and most Humanti towns/ villages) on FirstLand is protected by a set of cairns.

Like Heathstones, they must be enchancted for a specific biome, in that specific biome. They can not even be moved, once they are in place.

I thought I had posted this ages ago, but it is not here. So here it is

Clothes: Elventi wear artistically created clothes designed specifically for them and for the purposes they use. Since everything in Elventi Time is ritualized, the proper outfit is a must for any endevor.

A common Elventi outfit is a multilayer set of robes with a split pants arrangment. Women tend not to wear the split pants.

Food: Elventi Food is akin to Chinese Food, small bits and sauce. Items are cooked less in Elventi cooking than Humanti cooking. The point of meals is to taste the very, very subtle difference in the food... which leads many Humanti to say that Elventi food is bland.

Birth and Deaths are great ritualized events, where many people congregate follow the required ritual responses. Elventi corpses are returned to the ground, where all life springs.

Marriage: Elventi culture only allows one marriage, to your perfect one. If you think someone might be perfect, a proper ritual courting takes up most of your time for two years. By that time, you will be perfect for each other... or know better. In polite society, only perfect couples are allowed to breed. If your mate dies, tradition states you can not take another.

Families: Families are somewhat rare. Children stay with their immediate families for 20 years or so. Then they normally move in with other members of their extended families.

Archetypes:Note: Know that All Elventi know a little of the warrior's arts, a little magic, a smattering of crafts, and put most Humanti woodsmen to shame. The archetypes are specialists in their craft.

Warrior: An Elventi warrior is a master of the bow, the spear, and hand to hand combat. They are "artists" perfecting their marital techniques. Even if they are not High Elventi, they still take their time to focus on their techniques. If they wear armor, it would be a well crafted reinforced leather suit. (Older Warriors and High Elventi, will have more magical equipment). They are master naturalists, who can live in and move through their home environments without leaving a trace and know everythign that occurs there. In other environments, they are still quite expert in doing the same thigns. To a fault, they are perfectly loyal to their commanders. They serve the Imperium when the Imperium needs ground troups. Between those times, they serve given nobles as knights.

SpellSmith: While all Elventi know cantrips and minor magics, these are the masters of spell craft, arcane lore, and the flows of power. They are scholarly and patient, even from the near immortal Elventi point of view. Their understanding of cosmic manna flows and ways makes them quite wise. They wear what ever is needed, but most elderly SpellSmiths wear a robe combination that emphasize their primary mystical element. SpellSmiths create HearthStones and other magical artifacts of Elventi society.

TreeSmiths: Also Known as TreeWeavers and TreeSculpters. These are spellsmiths who know woodcraft. They create the great home trees and other scuplted plants of the Elventi Society.

WeatherSmiths: Weather working spell are their specialties. Travelling in groups of seven, they make sure that the weather is always perfect.

Crafter: They who create things. These craftsmen are also artists, who are perfecting their crafts. Crafters not only make things, they take care of the embedded agriculture in most areas. They are also the hands that design the great things the Nobles plan.

Noble: Elventi nobles are pictures of grace, honor, and decorum. They know every aspects of Elventi society: a little of the warrior's arts, a little magic, a smattering of crafts, and can put most Humanti woodsmen to shame. Nobles act as organizers of the Elventi society, so they tend to be in charge of any religious observance as well. (note Elventi do not have 5th element magic/ clerical magic).

In WhiteWoods, there are a few other archetypes

IceSmith: These mystical crafters work ice, snow, and weather in the WhiteWoods. Each household has one IceSmiths (and an apprentice or two). They are masters of the white environment, being expert naturalists and woodsmen. Most IceSmiths are retired Warriors. IceSmiths tend to wear white SnowCat Pelts as capes. It is almost part of a uniform for them.

Doggers: Masters of DogCraft (and other animal training crafts), these are the animal trainers extrodinaire of the WhiteWoods. They are quite adept at the white environment as well, but no one can match a IceSmith. They are normally easy to identify, as they tend to wear less artistic clothing and more animal fur. This is often a Humanti Archetype, but Elventi follow it well.

In WhiteCliffs

BuildSmith: This is a corruption of a Dwarventi word. BuildSmiths are engineers of the mechanical, civil, and mystical types. They are part of the new breed found in WhiteCliffs. BuildSmiths wear rumpled, dirty clothing, as clothing is the least of their concerns. This is a Humanti archetype as well as Elventi.

In addition to Elventi Archetypes, any Humanti archetype is possible for an Elventi.

All intelligent species on Arth are supposed to follow the elemental path, that is to say there is five (six) expected variations of a given race.

The races in order of discovery by the Imperium.

Elventi Elventi are the dominant race culturally, but one of the lesser races numerically. Elventi tend to be thin, long limbed, graceful, and about five Imperial feet tall, and 130 stones in weight. Their eyes are large and almond shaped, with strong cheekbones and pointed ears. All elventi have a slight metallic shine to their skin, eyes, and hair. They mature at 30 and live for an average of about 500 years.

1) Air - These are light skinned, fair hair, blue to purpled eyed elventi of FirstLand. They have slight silver tones to their skin, hair, and eyes. 2) Fire - As yet to be discovered. 3) Earth - Elventi do not acknowledge that the Wild Elves of ThirdLand exist and do not acknowledge their place in the five types of Elventi. Humanti scholars place them there. These Elventi are taller and human-like in build. They are moderate in skin tone (because of the sun). They have redish blond to copper hair, and brown to green eyes. They also have copper tones to their skin, hair, and eyes. 4) Water - SeaElventi Aquatic adaptions of the Elventi line. They are pale to tan (dependent on sun), blue/ purple/ or green eyes, and black hair. They have slight gem tones to their skin/ hair, but not eyes.

5) High Elventi: These are the pinacles of Elventi development. Mostly they are from Air stock, but sometimes they come from others. These Elventi through some combination of of physical, spiritual, and mental perfection, plus good genes and being in the right place at the right time, "advance". When they "advance", they become stronger, more durable, and capable of channeling more manna. Their metabolism evens out. They become immortal.

Once an Elventi "advances" they become part of the aristocracy. Elventi culture is based upon age and seniority. The older ones are respected and followed. With people who are immortal, this takes the next step.

High Elves are immortal being of great power. After a century or two, they are unsurpassable by mortals. Imagine an immortal and experienced Captain America/Batman, with access to IronMan/ Green Lantern power level item, and knowledge to rival a realm sorcerer (Dr. Strange/ Dr. Fate/ Tim) and has access to gate technology. There are not very many High Elves in comparison to the other races or even Elventi, but the standing Imperial Army only has 32 High Elventi members. They and a thousand or so reserve Elventi are enough to rule a surface area akin to the Earth's. Many of the Noble High Elventi have served in the Army for a century or so, then follow more refined pursuits.